Written Answers

Monday 27 November 2000

Scottish Executive

Ambulance Service

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people died in each of the past five years in Glasgow while (a) waiting for an ambulance and (b) in an ambulance and en-route to a hospital.

Susan Deacon: The   information requested is not held centrally .

Ambulance Service

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to receive the response from the Scottish Ambulance Service to A Service for Life by the National Audit Office and whether this response will be made public.

Susan Deacon: The Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service gave evidence to the Audit Committee of the Scottish Parliament on 7 March 2000. This was one of a number of evidence-taking sessions held by the Audit Committee in its consideration of A Service for Life .

  The findings of the Audit Committee were published on 15 June 2000 in the committee’s Third Report 2000. The Scottish Executive’s response to the report has been submitted to the Audit Committee, and arrangements have been made for the response to be laid before the Parliament.

Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list any new measures or changes in practice introduced over the last 12 months in connection with its response to the incidence of amnesic shellfish poisoning in waters fished by scallop fishermen.

Susan Deacon: On 3 August 2000, the Food Standards Agency, Scotland assumed responsibility for the algal toxin monitoring and sampling programme from the Scottish Executive. All aspects of the programme are continuously being reviewed, and consideration of a proposed new tiered approach to the sampling regime is well progressed. However, in the meantime the agency is continuing to follow existing procedures. The FSAS welcomes any suggestions that could help improve communication of information in respect of the monitoring programme, or its effectiveness.

Cancer

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of general practitioners have received training in cancer and palliative care in each of the last five years and what plans it has to ensure that all general practitioners receive training in this area.

Susan Deacon: General practitioners, like other professionals, are encouraged to look at their own personal learning needs and the health needs of their patients and to seek training in specific areas. Guidance and assistance is available from the Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education (SCPMDE) via the Postgraduate Directors of General Practice Education. Each GP also receives an annual Postgraduate Education Allowance to support an agreed amount of training. As the responsibility for continuous professional development belongs to the individual doctor, there is no central record kept of the details of training which has been undertaken.

Cancer

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the anti-cancer drugs Taxol and Taxotere will be available to all patients who require them.

Susan Deacon: The drugs Taxol and Taxotere are available on the NHS. The use of these drugs in the treatment of patients depends on the clinical judgment of the clinicians concerned.

Cancer

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the survival rate for breast cancer has been in Scotland for each of the last three years.

Susan Deacon: Information is not held centrally in the format requested.

  Various methods are available for estimating survival and each has a different interpretation. Relative survival rates are essentially estimates of the net survival of a group of cancer patients in comparison with the overall survival of the general population and do not, as such, strictly indicate the actual percentage of patients alive at a given time after diagnosis.

  The table below shows age standardised relative survival rates (%) one year after diagnosis for women aged 15 to 99 diagnosed in each of 1993, 1994 and 1995, the most recent years for which these data are available. Trends in Cancer Survival in Scotland 1971 to 1995, published in 1999, provides full information on survival from all cancers and can be accessed at www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd.

  


Year of diagnosis 


Age standardised relative survival (%) at 1 year 




1993 


90.8 




1994 


91.7 




1995 


91.9

Cancer

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent on research into breast cancer in the last three years in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: Cancer is one of three clinical priorities for the NHS in Scotland and a specific research priority.

  Details of the funding for breast cancer research are set out in section B of the answer to question S1W-10110.

Child Abuse

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what training medical students, doctors and other health care professionals receive in identifying and treating survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

Susan Deacon: The content of university medical courses is not a matter for the Scottish Executive to determine. The General Medical Council has a UK-wide responsibility for determining the extent of the knowledge and skill required for the granting of primary medical qualifications. The route to reaching these standards is a matter for each individual medical school.

  The content of specialist training for doctors is a matter for the Specialist Training Authority in the case of hospital doctors. The content of vocational training is a matter for the Joint Committee On Postgraduate Training For General Practice (JCPTGP) in the case of General Practitioners. The Scottish Executive would expect that, following completion of their training, doctors, as professionals, would keep their skills up to date in the areas which are relevant to their sphere of practice.

  Training for nursing staff in dealing with childhood sexual abuse is embedded within the curriculum for certain qualifications such as paediatric nursing, forensic nursing, health visiting and midwifery. Dealing with the survivors of childhood abuse is a highly specialised aspect of childhood sexual abuse and training is the responsibility of individual practitioners in this field and their employers who are required to assess and meet the training needs of the multidisciplinary team.

Climate Change Levy

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the additional £3.2 million per year being made available to the Scottish budget in 2001-02 from the climate change levy will be allocated to the assigned budget via the Barnett formula.

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to ring-fence the £3.2 million being made available to the Scottish budget from the climate change levy for the purposes of helping projects or policies which support a sustainable environment.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Yes

Community Care

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure better sharing and co-ordination of information to local authorities, health boards and other agencies in relation to the commissioning of community care services for older people.

Malcolm Chisholm: At a national level, the Scottish Executive is supporting the work of the Social Work Information Review Group which is committed to ensuring that information requirements and data standards set for social care are coherent with those set for health care. The outcome of this work will provide the agencies with a common currency of information to inform the planning and commissioning of services. The establishment of an Older People’s Centre in 2001 to champion the development of good and innovative community care services will inform the commissioning process.

  At local level, the Joint Future Group report will provide a new lead on service priorities and on improved information and systems integration in support of the delivery and commissioning of services.

Domestic Abuse

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the report of the Scottish Partnership on Domestic Abuse and the National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland and when the Parliament will have the opportunity to debate the Partnership’s recommendations.

Jackie Baillie: The report of the Scottish Partnership on Domestic Abuse and the National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland are being published today. The First Minister will launch both documents in St Andrew’s House on Wednesday 29 November 2000. Copies of the report and strategy will be circulated to all MSPs and are available in SPICe. A parliamentary debate will take place on Wednesday 29 November 2000.

Employment

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to take forward the recommendations of the Beattie Committee report Implementing Inclusiveness - Realising Potential.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: In response to the Beattie Committee Report, the Scottish Executive has established a National Action Group chaired by the Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong learning, Nicol Stephen. This responsibility has now passed to the new Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Gaelic, Alasdair Morrison.

  The National Action Group will take the lead in implementing the report’s recommendations with an additional £22.6 million made available from the Scottish Executive’s Spending Review. The £22.6 million will be administered over a three-year period and will include:

  £9 million to establish Key Worker support;

  £4.5 million to improve support for students in further education;

  £6.1 million to improve assessment and tracking;

  £3 million to pilot educational psychological services for 16-24 year olds, develop training for mentors and commission a national review of assessment tools.

  Arrangements are in place to invite bid proposals from a wide range of organisations, working in partnership to develop imaginative projects on assessment and training, and key worker support building on current good practice where appropriate. Careers service companies will play a major role in developing and co-ordinating the proposals.

  The Scottish Executive is working with the relevant agencies to take forward the other Beattie recommendations.

  We will further consider the committee’s other recommendations in the light of future policy developments and the Duffner Review on the Careers Service.

Environment

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring has taken place of the bacterial content and contamination of the ballast water of ships using the Firth of Forth and Forth Estuary; what the results have been of any such monitoring, and what impact the discharge of ballast water has on the water quality of bathing beaches in Fife.

Mr Sam Galbraith: No such monitoring has taken place.

  Information about individual impacts on the water quality of bathing beaches in Fife is not held centrally, but is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. All designated bathing waters in Fife met the standards of the Bathing Waters Directive (76/160/EEC) in the 2000 bathing season.

Environment

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact ballast water discharged from ships using the Forth ports has had on shellfish and other marine life in the Firth of Forth and Forth Estuary.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Scientific studies of aquatic organisms in ships’ ballast tanks indicate that a range of species can be transported in this way but transport is only the first of many stages to the process by which a species can become established in a new area. Very many organisms transported in ballast tanks do not survive the voyage. Of those that do, they must also survive being pumped out of the tanks, must be tolerant to the physical, chemical and biological conditions in the new area, and must also find food, habitat and in many cases, other individuals of the same species with which to reproduce. There is no scientific evidence that ballast water discharges in Scottish waters have had any harmful impacts on shellfish or marine life.

Fisheries

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has assessed the impact of the economic link measures introduced for the fisheries sector on 1 January 1999.

Rhona Brankin: From 1 January 1999, all British registered fishing vessels over 10 metres catching more than two tonnes of quota stocks have had to demonstrate an economic link with fisheries dependent communities in the United Kingdom. This link can be demonstrated in a number of ways, for example, by vessels landing at least 50% by weight of their quota catch into the UK or by employing a crew of whom at least 50% are normally resident in a UK coastal area.

  In the first year of operation over 1,750 vessels in the over 10 metre fleet caught more than two tonnes of quota stocks and in almost every case achieved a satisfactory economic link, primarily through landings into the UK. Where a small number have failed to make the full link in 1999, they will be expected to make this up in 2000 and future years. The new arrangements have resulted in a significant increase both in the volume of landings made by foreign-owned UK flagged vessels and in local expenditure on goods and services in the UK. They have also led to over 300 tonnes of additional quota being made available to fishermen in the under 10 metre fleet and non-sector.

  A full report by the Fisheries Departments in the United Kingdom on the operation of the economic link measures and their impact in 1999 has been placed in SPICe.

Health

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has, or intends to compile, any data on the number of people resident in the North of England who have received NHS medical treatment in Scotland in the last three years.

Susan Deacon: The available information on North of England residents treated in the National Health Service in Scotland is distributed over a variety of sources, relating principally to the acute, maternity and psychiatric hospital sectors, and is presented in Table 1 for the years ending (y/e) 31 March: 1998-2000.

  Table 1

  

 

Y/e Mar 1998 


Y/e Mar 1999 


Y/e Mar 2000p




1. New outpatient attendances referred from GPs 


1,972 


2,100 


2,004 




2. General acute discharges 


3,373 


3,846 


3,799 




3. Maternity/obstetric discharges 


271 


208 


195 




4. Psychiatric/mental illness admissions 


71 


83 


83 




  Sources: SMR00, SMR01, SMR02, SMR04.

  p Provisional

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, given the current unavailability of beds due to "bed blocking", reducing the total number of NHS beds in the longer term can be justified, in particular with respect to the intended reduction in bed numbers from 1,029 to 894 on transferring services to the new Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Susan Deacon: The NHS in Scotland keeps the number and mix of hospital beds under review to ensure that appropriate health services can be delivered to the people of Scotland in the light of changing patterns of treatment and care.

  The Scottish Executive believes that the problem of delayed discharges should be tackled systematically by the NHS and local authorities working together, and has allocated an additional £10 million of recurring funding to local authorities for that purpose. This sum is over and above the £60 million recurring funding, allocated to health boards in June to enable them to accelerate the delivery of national and local priorities, of which a total of £9 million is being used by boards and Trusts specifically to tackle delayed discharges.

  The planned bed numbers for the new Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh are based on target levels of performance, determined by clinicians, and agreed between the health board and Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust. The health board recognises that plans must be flexible, and that if experience indicates that the proposed balance between hospital and community services requires to be adjusted, then that will be done.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure an increased uptake of donor cards and to increase awareness of individual’s intentions with regard to organ donation.

Susan Deacon: We are presently finalising arrangements for a short TV filler advertisement which we hope will catch the attention and interest of TV viewers in Scotland, help raise the profile of this important issue and encourage people to think seriously and talk openly about the possibility of allowing their organs to be used to help others after they die.

  I know that in the Scottish Parliament there is a great awareness and interest, across all parties, in the promotion of organ donation. It would be invaluable, therefore, if the Scottish members could lead by example and join together to help publicise this issue in Scotland. I shall be writing out to all members soon inviting their participation in promoting organ donor awareness.

  The Scottish Executive is keen to encourage and support, where possible, initiatives to promote organ donation. We have supported various promotional activities in the past and are always open to considering new and innovative proposals. We are also, as a matter of course, involved in the ongoing provision of supplies of organ donor leaflets and information in support of individual independent initiatives.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reimburse health visitors and community nurses for car use beyond the current 10p per mile for cars using unleaded petrol.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive, along with the other UK Health Departments, is undertaking a Joint Review of Section 24 of the General Whitley Council Handbook which covers mileage and travelling allowances for all NHS staff.

Housing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to make available for house purchasers a householders’ pack indicating the responsibilities which lie on house owners.

Jackie Baillie: We recognise the importance of purchasers having good information at a reasonable cost.

  In the Programme for Government, published last September, we also indicated that we would seek to improve the house buying process by supporting measures which avoid additional costs for home buyers resulting from multiple surveys and valuations.

  Since then we have been monitoring the progress of the two market-led pilots in Scotland and have had a number of discussions with interested parties on how best sellers’ surveys might be taken forward in Scotland. In particular, we are liaising with the Scottish Consumer Council which has recently published a report, Home Truths, which recommended the development of voluntary "independent" survey schemes, backed by a guarantee for the buyer.

  In addition, the Common Repair Working Group, chaired by my Department with representatives from a number of interested parties, has commissioned the preparation of two leaflets for owners and prospective owners explaining their responsibilities in respect of the repair and maintenance of communally owned property. In addition, Home Point, the housing information and advice unit in Scottish Homes, has published two more general advisory leaflets for home owners.

Local Government

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what relationships it has, or intends to establish, with local or regional governmental bodies in the North of England.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive has no formal links with local authorities in the North of England. However, the Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the government offices in the North-East and the North-West on issues of common interest.

Meningitis

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what warnings were given to GPs in relation to the potential reaction to the meningitis C vaccine that could occur in certain patients such as those with heart conditions.

Susan Deacon: In June, the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) completed a safety review into reports of suspected adverse reactions to Men C vaccines. It concluded that most of the reported suspected adverse reactions are non-serious, that the vaccine appears to be safe and highly protective and that the balance of risk and benefit is overwhelmingly favourable.

  The CSM recommended that a number of suspected adverse reactions for older children, including seizures and anaphylactoid reactions, should be added to product information despite the fact that a causal association between seizures and meningococcal C vaccination has not been established, and that reactions were very rare (no reaction was reported at a frequency greater than 1 in 10,000 distributed doses and reported seizures were approximately 1 in 100,000 distributed doses). The addition of seizures to the product information is to ensure that health professionals, patients and parents are fully informed.

  On 4 August, the Chief Medical Officer sent the conclusions of this review to GPs via Directors of Public Health, asking them to bring it to the attention of practice nurses and health visitors to assist them in answering questions about the vaccines.

  The information leaflets for students and for children and parents have also been revised to reflect this additional information.

Multiple Sclerosis

Dr Richard Simpson (Ochil) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Health Technology Board for Scotland will issue guidance, in the light of current evidence, on the use of Beta Interferon A, Beta Interferon B and Copaxone in the treatment of primary progressive, secondary progressive and relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis.

Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the Health Technology Board for Scotland to report on its appraisal of Beta Interferon in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Susan Deacon: The Health Technology Board for Scotland (HTBS) have agreed to my request that they provide advice on the clinical and cost effectiveness of the use of Beta Interferon and Copaxone in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

  As the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) was carrying out a similar assessment for England and Wales, the board had hoped to obtain access to the evidence submitted to NICE but that has not proved possible.

  As the NICE process is ongoing, it is not possible to say with precision when the Health Technology Board’s advice will be available. However, to minimise delay, the board have established a group comprising experts in relevant specialties and people who suffer from multiple sclerosis. This group has met to prepare the ground and be ready to start the assessment as soon as the evidence is forthcoming. The HTBS process will include consultation and clarification phases to ensure a robust and inclusive evaluation of the evidence in relation to Scotland.

Multiple Sclerosis

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been spent in Scotland on research into multiple sclerosis since 1 July 1999 by (a) it and (b) other bodies.

Susan Deacon: At present, the Scottish Executive is largely a response mode funder of research and this role is well advertised throughout the medical and academic community. The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) has received no research proposals of a sufficiently high standard on multiple sclerosis (MS ) recently and therefore has not directly funded research into this neurological disease in the period mentioned. However, CSO would be pleased to receive research applications on MS which would be subject to the usual peer and committee review.

  The Scottish Executive, through CSO, also supports research indirectly through its allocation of some £29 million annually to the NHS in Scotland. Some of this funding may support research with a relevance to MS.

  We are aware of 303 research projects on MS which are currently taking place or have recently been completed in the UK, 19 of which relate to Scotland. The results of the projects undertaken throughout the UK will inform the future direction of research and treatment of this disease.

  Details of past and current research undertaken on MS in the UK are available on the National Research Register (NRR), a copy of which is in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

National Parks

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the arrangements for elections in National Parks will be taken forward.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The National Parks (Scotland) Act provides for a minimum of 20% of each National Park Authority to be chosen through direct elections by people on the local government register of electors in the park. Arrangements for such elections are required, under schedule 1 of the Act, to be set out in an order approved by the Scottish Parliament. As a first step towards the drafting of the necessary election order(s), I am today circulating a consultation paper seeking views on the particular arrangements that would be appropriate for elections to a National Park authority. A copy of the consultation paper is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. The consultation will close on 12 March 2001, after which we will consider the views expressed and prepare a draft order(s) on which there will be further consultation before seeking the approval of the Scottish Parliament.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all non-departmental public bodies which have ceased to exist since May 1997.

Angus MacKay: Between May 1997 and June 2000, the following non-departmental public bodies have ceased to exist:

  


Advisory Committee on Dental Establishments 




The Potato Marketing Board 




Scottish Agricultural Consultative Panel 




Scottish Childcare Board 




Scottish Community Education Council 




Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum 




Scottish Council for Education Technology 




Scottish Seed Potato Development Council 




Scottish Water and Sewage Customers’ Council 




  The Advisory Committee on Dental Establishments was reconstituted as the Scottish Advisory Committee on the Dental Workforce (which is not an NDPB).

  The Potato Marketing Board and the Scottish Seed Potato Development Council have been superseded by the British Potato Council, a body which covers the whole of Britain and on which Scotland is represented.

  The remit of the Scottish Agricultural Consultative Panel was subsumed within the Hill Farming Advisory Committee.

  The Scottish Council for Education Technology and Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum are undergoing a merger to form Learning and Teaching Scotland.

  The Scottish Water and Sewage Customers’ Council has been replaced by the Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland.

  The Scottish Community Education Council has been reconstituted as Community Learning Scotland.

  Health Trusts, which are NHS Bodies and not strictly NDPBs, were also reconfigured in 1999, reducing the number of Trusts from 47 to 28.

Organic Food

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria have to apply for food and drink to be accurately labelled "organic".

Susan Deacon: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that minimum standards for organic production are set down in a European Community Regulation (Council Regulation 2092/91).

  In the UK, a body called the UK Register of Organic Food Standards (UKROFS) ensures that the Regulation is properly applied by the various UK bodies which register and inspect organic farmers and processors. All food sold as organic must come from growers or processors who are registered with one of these bodies. Imported organic food is subject to the same checks and guarantees; importers must also be registered with one of the UK bodies.

Organic Food

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether organic food has greater health and nutritional benefits than non-organic food.

Susan Deacon: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that there is not enough scientifically proven information available at present to be able to say that organic foods are significantly different in terms of their nutritional content from those produced by conventional farming.

Organophosphates

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide funding for training and guidance for general practitioners to assess and diagnose ill health caused by exposure to organophosphates.

Susan Deacon: General practitioners, like other professionals, are encouraged to look at their own personal learning needs and the health needs of their patients and to seek training in specific areas. Guidance and assistance is available from the Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education (SCPMDE) via the Postgraduate Directors of General Practice Education. Each GP already receives an annual Postgraduate Education Allowance to support an agreed amount of training.

Pensions

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce measures under the Family Law (Scotland) Act 1985 as amended with regard to the provision for pension scheme benefits in divorce case settlements and, if so, on what date such measures will be introduced.

Mr Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-6241 on 19 April 2000.

Performing Arts

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take account of the findings of the recent Equity/Department for Education and Employment seminar on the training and employment of performers with disabilities when it is considering policy initiatives on the development of the performing arts in Scotland.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive and the Scottish Arts Council are both aware of the points, which were raised at the seminar, and they will be taken into consideration in the development of any future policy initiatives in support of the performing arts in Scotland.

Planning

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it used the same criteria when deciding whether to call in the applications for planning permission for (a) IKEA from Glasgow City Council and (b) the Heathfield development from South Ayrshire Council and why different decisions were taken in each case.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Both planning applications were considered against a common background of National Planning Policy Guideline 8 (Town Centres and Retailing) and the relevant land use policies contained in the respective Structure and Local plans for the areas in which the development proposals were situated. The decisions reached reflected the different circumstances which applied in each case.

Planning

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the main differences are between the planning application for IKEA received by Glasgow City Council and for the Heathfield development received by South Ayrshire Council.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Both applications were notified to the Scottish Executive in terms of Scottish Office Circular 4/1997. Having carefully considered the respective cases, Scottish Ministers concluded, on the basis of the evidence before them, that, in planning policy terms, the IKEA proposal was acceptable whereas the Heathfield development was not.

Planning

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why the proposed IKEA development at Braehead has not been called in for public inquiry.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Having given very careful consideration to this matter Scottish Ministers decided that, on the basis of the evidence before them, there were no planning grounds to warrant their intervention.

Planning

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why the Heathfield retail development and Ayr United Stadium developments were called in for public inquiry.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The application was called in on 25 August 1999 for determination by the Scottish Ministers because of the possible implications for (a) national and local retail policies; (b) for Lochside Road/Old Farm Road as a location for strategic industrial investment; (c) for traffic and road safety on the A77(T), and (d) the potential adverse impact on Ayr town centre.

Ports

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its ports policy is.

Sarah Boyack: A ports policy paper, Modern Ports , has been published today and a copy has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. no 9874). The paper provides a comprehensive statement of future policy on a wide range of issues relating to the UK ports industry. It encompasses issues where the Executive has devolved responsibilities, and also issues which are reserved. It is therefore a joint UK-wide document combining these issues.

  Ports are vital to Scotland’s economy and international trade. They have an important role in our integrated transport policy. The Executive seeks to build on the many sound and well-established working relationships it already has with the industry.

  The paper sets out the key devolved ports responsibilities and policies. These policies recognise Scotland’s special circumstances and needs. They also recognise our own integrated transport framework and strategy, the special needs of industries such as oil, fishing and lifeline ferry services in the Highlands and Islands, and how sustainability and environmental issues are addressed in Scotland. It puts other key policies identified in a Scottish context where necessary.

  I am pleased that Modern Ports represents a UK-wide paper so that all of the strands of reserved and devolved policy can be brought together to provide a comprehensive strategy for the future development of ports in Scotland.

  The paper commits the devolved administrations to work with UK Government, the industry, its users and other interests to achieve four key objectives:

  to make regulation add value rather than unnecessary cost, ensuring that different regulators co-ordinate their overall demands;

  to promote agreed national standards and good practice for port management and port operations alike, without detracting from the legal responsibilities of harbour authorities and other port interests;

  to promote training and the recognition of skills for those who work in the ports industry at all levels – not just those engaged by harbour authorities;

  to maintain a balanced policy on development which aims to make the best use of existing and former operational land, secures high environmental standards, but supports sustainable projects for which there is a clear need.

Rail Network

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether European Regional Development Fund money is available for the re-opening of the Airdrie to Bathgate rail link.

Angus MacKay: In line with current EC policy for the 2000-06 Objective 2 Programmes, ERDF will not provide for major infrastructure projects. Activities indirectly connected with such projects which provide additional economic development outcomes may however be eligible to receive European funding.

Roads

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will designate the western peripheral route around Aberdeen as a trunk road.

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it regards the proposed western peripheral route round Aberdeen as a trunk route development and what the reason is for its position on this matter.

Sarah Boyack: No. The route is being promoted by Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire Councils as part of their Integrated Transport Strategy.

Roads

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will allow new access points on the A9 between Perth and Inverness for developments which have significant economic implications to local communities.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive currently operates a policy not to allow any new commercial or private accesses or the intensification of use of existing private accesses onto the A9 trunk road between Perth and Inverness. There are no plans to review this policy as it is still considered to be appropriate.

Scottish Arts Council

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how often Ministers have met representatives of the Scottish Arts Council since 1 June 1999, on what dates these meetings took place and what issues were discussed.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The following table provides the information requested.

  Meetings Between the Scottish Executive and Scottish Arts Council

Security Industry

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7190 by Mr Jim Wallace on 7 June 2000, what the timescale is for publication of its proposals to regulate the security industry including private investigators, whom it has consulted or plans to consult concerning its proposals and what representations it has received on this issue.

Mr Jim Wallace: It is the Scottish Executive’s intention to issue a consultation paper to all interested parties later this year outlining options for regulation of the private security industry in Scotland.

Special Advisers

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what links presently exist between its special advisers and a Labour party research unit; whether it plans to improve any such links and, if so, what improvements will be made and at what cost, and whether any such links will involve people who are working for the civil service.

Angus MacKay: Special Advisers are appointed to advise the First Minister in the development of Scottish Executive policy and its effective presentation.

  The arrangements governing the relationship between Special Advisers and party, including party research departments are detailed in their contract, a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Waste Management

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has a reliable and comprehensive database of information on waste management issues.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) holds information on waste management issues obtained from a number of sources. Examples are data on licensed activities, exemptions, waste carriers and waste brokers which are held on public registers. Data on the amount of different wastes produced are obtained from specific surveys such as the joint Scottish Executive/SEPA survey carried out in 1999 to establish waste management data for 1997 and 1998.

  During this year, as part of the implementation of the National Waste Strategy: Scotland, baseline assessments of waste management activities in each of 11 Waste Strategy Areas have been prepared. These will form part of the final Area Waste Plans.

  SEPA is currently developing a system to ensure that all data on waste management issues are integrated within a co-ordinated waste management database. This forms part of SEPA’s Information Systems Strategy.